WVSports.com looks at the weekly press conference from West Virginia head coach Neal Brown and determines the five most interesting topics of discussion.

We examine what was said as well as what it means for the football team both this week and moving ahead as the Mountaineers navigate the 2021 schedule.

Next up is a road trip to Kansas State with West Virginia at 4-5 and the head coach dove into some key topics not only for this week but the rest of the season.

1—Injury updates. West Virginia is likely going to be without WILL linebacker Lance Dixon who left the game against Oklahoma State and for now he is listed as doubtful. That is going to be a significant blow to that unit as Dixon has been playing more and more snaps at that spot.

When it comes to starting wide receiver and punt returner Isaiah Esdale, Brown believes that it will be touch and go this week. He is dealing with two separate upper body injuries and it’s likely too soon to make a call. The coaches plan to see how he progresses, but he was not able to practice at all last week.

The good news is that starting cornerback Charles Woods will be available as he only left the game with a cramp. That is significant considering the fact that the program is already down one starting cornerback in Nicktroy Fortune for the rest of the regular season.

2—Punt returner. With Esdale looking questionable at best to make it back onto the field due to injury, that leaves a hole not only at wide receiver but at punt returner. Graeson Malashevich filled in against Oklahoma State but muffed a punt that effectively closed the door on an opportunity for a comeback. Brown said he took his eyes off of it for a second and he likely should have been in fair catch mode but he wasn’t and it proved costly. To his credit, Malashevich did come back out and fair catch the next one but it’s a situation where he has to have a short memory if he wants to continue to hold that spot down.

Winston Wright had that job against Maryland but also fumbled a punt and due to his involvement not only on offense but with the kick return team it perhaps makes more sense to allow somebody else to handle it. For now, that seems to be Malashevich’s job until Esdale is back.

3—West Virginia is taking it week-by-week. While getting to a bowl game is the ultimate goal sitting at 4-5 with three games remaining, for now Brown is focused on taking it on a weekly basis. Part of that means that his team has to showcase the ability to play football the way it’s supposed to be played in all three phases. If that occurs, then the wins should take care of themselves down the stretch.

Brown has a read on his team and believes that they must keep their thoughts on the here and now instead of dwelling on the past or looking too far ahead to the future. That means putting the focus on what this team has to do in order to beat Kansas State this week and the same for every other opponent that’s remaining on the 2021 schedule.

That doesn’t take away from the goal of making a bowl. It’s a huge benefit not only to make the game for the extra practices, but the exposure that it provides the program from a recruiting and television standpoint. Making a bowl game matters and that’s obviously the ultimate goal.

4—Kansas State is playing their best. The Wildcats have won three consecutive games and have turned their season around after dropping three games. They have won the past two games convincingly and offer some difficult matchups for the Mountaineers. Running back Deuce Vaughn is used all over the field and it is going to be imperative for the defense to know where he’s at on every single snap. The quarterback Skylar Thompson is a tough kid and is a good decision maker. He didn’t play against the Mountaineers last year but brings a completely different dynamic to the offense in large part because of his ability to diagnose the defense and how accurate he has been with the ball. They have two different wide receivers that are playing well with Malik Knowles and Phillip Brooks and they do a good job of getting their players into favorable matchups across the board.

The defense is a completely different structure than the one that the Wildcats have used the past two seasons and have gone to a 3-3-5 scheme. Felix Anudike-Uzomah has been a terror all season on the defensive line with a motor while the rest of the unit is filled out with playmakers. Kansas State will roll in a number of different players on that side of the ball to keep themselves fresh and finding a way to bounce back on the offensive side of things after a poor performance against Oklahoma State.

Some of that had to do with what the Cowboys were able to do in that game, but it was an obvious step back and if the Mountaineers want to win on the road they’ll have to play much better.

Brown said that you can’t really take much away from what happened last year as they had several players out with COVID-19 and Thompson didn’t even play. It’s a totally different team and the Mountaineers are going to have to try to win a very tough game on the road.

5—Quarterback play wasn’t good enough. West Virginia lost battles up front all game and the Cowboys were able to get the Mountaineers in one-on-one situations and effectively control the game. It forced the offense to play behind the chains all day and this team simply isn’t good enough on that side of the ball to consistently move the ball in those situations. But on top of the play of the offensive line, the quarterback position also wasn’t good enough to win this game.

Senior Jarret Doege and redshirt freshman Garrett Greene both struggled as the Mountaineers quarterbacks were sacked eight times, with likely half of those being the fault of the signal callers themselves according to Brown. That wasn’t any different than the other positions on offense, but that position has to do a better job getting rid of the ball in the pocket when people are open.

The Mountaineers also missed a run read when Greene was in the game that could have been a walk-in touchdown on the first drive and the position didn’t value the football. This offense has to get better production there, and across the board if they want to have success on that side of the ball.

Brown did say that for now the plan with Will Crowder is that they’ll see how it goes depending on what else unfolds this season but he is admittedly excited about the freshman. He continues to play well in developmental practices and there is optimism for him in the future.

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